Former California head football Joe Kapp waves to the crowd during the Stanford and Cal game Saturday, Nov. 20, 2004 in Berkeley, Calif. Kapp was head coach for Cal between 1982-1986. / AP

by Jim Corbett, USA TODAY Sports, USATODAY

by Jim Corbett, USA TODAY Sports, USATODAY

Former Minnesota Vikings and Canadian Football League quarterback Joe Kapp doesn't get much attention these days.

So at age 75, the throwback quarterback was flattered to get a Thursday night shout-out from Peyton Manning after the Denver Broncos quarterback tied Kapp's record with seven touchdown passes in a game.

"I've been kind of dead for quite a while, been in the classified section of the newspaper lately. All my pals -- both of them -- called,'' Kapp joked to USA TODAY Sports from his California home Friday.

"Peyton's an honorable man and it's very much an honor to be mentioned by a quarterback right there with the best ever. Peyton comes from the premier football family in America. Archie was a pretty damned good quarterback. And he has two great sons playing the position."

Manning and Kapp, who both threw seven touchdowns against a team from Baltimore â?? Kapp did it Sept. 29, 1969, against the Baltimore Colts -- share the single-game touchdown passing record with Sid Luckman, Y.A. Tittle, George Blanda and Adrian Burk.

"When I threw seven touchdowns against the Baltimore Colts, if you look at the film, I looked almost as good as Johnny Unitas,'' Kapp says.

"In fact, after that game, I asked Johnny for his autograph.''

Ever the character, Kapp was glad to be back in the spotlight in a good way.

A respectful student of the game's history, Manning took a moment in his post-game news conference after Denver's 49-27 rout of the Baltimore Ravens to mention Kapp, the 209th overall pick in the 1959 draft from the University of California who played from 1959-1966 in the CFL and with the Vikings from 1967-69.

"Yeah, Joe Kapp, great Canadian quarterback out of Cal,'' said Manning, referencing Kapp's CFL tenure. "Kicked the crap out of a guy on YouTube a couple years ago, too.''

Manning was referring to an infamous 2011 CFL alumni luncheon scrap when Kapp landed a punch after his former 1963 Grey Cup nemesis, former CFL defensive tackle Angelo Mosca, 73, jabbed the quarterback with a heavy microphone and his cane.

"I'm not proud of that,'' Kapp says. "I was pushed to the limit. Luckily, I got the hit in, caught him on the chin. I'd never be able to live it down with my former teammates, if I didn't. I was protecting myself after I took a blow to the head with a cane that was supporting a 300-pounder.

"I guess you'd call it a TKO decision.''

Kind of what he and Manning did to Baltimore's defense with their seven-touchdown knockouts delivered more than four decades apart.